Alps Advisors Inc. Purchases 148,112 Shares of ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Alps Advisors increased its ePlus stake by 2,235.7% in the third quarter, adding 148,112 shares to own 154,737 shares valued at about $13.9 million.
• ePlus reported quarterly EPS of $1.82, above the $1.47 consensus, and revenue of $667.9 million, topping estimates of $636.1 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share ($1.08 annualized, a 1.2% yield); insiders collectively sold 7,500 shares over the past 90 days.

Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) by 2,235.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 154,737 shares of the software maker's stock after acquiring an additional 148,112 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.59% of ePlus worth $13,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLUS. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in ePlus during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $337,929,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 3.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,310,378 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $98,604,000 after buying an additional 48,158 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 118.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 579,047 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $43,573,000 after buying an additional 313,674 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in ePlus during the second quarter valued at $22,888,250. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in ePlus by 9.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 278,636 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $20,968,000 after buying an additional 24,348 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at ePlus

In related news, CFO Elaine Marion sold 4,842 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.33, for a total transaction of $466,429.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 79,259 shares in the company, valued at $7,635,019.47. This represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John Callies sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total transaction of $44,045.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,818,882.32. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 7,500 shares of company stock worth $709,495 in the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ePlus Price Performance

Shares of PLUS opened at $92.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.95. ePlus inc. has a one year low of $73.08 and a one year high of $98.21. The company's fifty day moving average price is $91.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.82.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The software maker reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $667.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.10 million. ePlus had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 5.02%. Analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. ePlus's payout ratio is 23.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Key Stories Impacting ePlus

Here are the key news stories impacting ePlus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ePlus reported EPS of $1.82, beating analyst expectations of $1.47, while revenue of $667.9 million topped the $636.1 million consensus and increased 9.7% year over year. Earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Gross billings rose 4.3% to a record $1.067 billion, and the company increased its fiscal 2027 guidance—signaling stronger expectations for the year. Fiscal 2027 second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equivalent to $1.08 annually and a 1.3% yield. The dividend is payable December 16 to shareholders of record November 24. Dividend and earnings announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: The results also noted a leadership transition, but the available announcement details do not specify its expected business or financial impact. Results and leadership transition
• Negative Sentiment: Services revenue declined 2.4% to $120.8 million, a weaker area within an otherwise solid quarter. Fiscal 2027 second-quarter results

About ePlus

ePlus inc. NASDAQ: PLUS provides technology solutions, professional services and financing to organizations in the commercial, government, healthcare and education sectors. Through its technology business, the company helps customers plan, implement and manage information technology environments, including data center, networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, cloud and digital infrastructure solutions.

The company also offers managed and professional services, technology consulting, IT asset management, and lifecycle services.

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